You guys that are unfortunate enough to have to do your reps and quality runs in the city, how do you cope with traffic and traffic lights?

On longer road runs I do tend to stop and start the Garmin if held up at busy crossings but most of it is just closing your eyes and running across. I do hit a few cars a month (with the flat of my hand) when they decide to stop on a zebra crossing rather than wait until their exit is clear.

Minni - you make me laugh with your gadget and schedule obsession, however were we so good at marathon running in the 70s ? FWIW I have done 3min reps on the morning commute, along the main road near my house, and last year I did them on the road to Woolfardisworthy (sp ?), and someone mentioned Kings Lynn - I did them on the path next to the tidal part of the river between the Main Road near the Premier Inn and the town centre. No idea how far I ran each time or what pace they were and I didnt want to know anyway !

FINgers - No error message at all, just nothing doing when I go to compose a new email or try to reply to ne. I get them sent o.k. and can read all of them. Curiously, on other computers there is no problem, so obviously I've inadvertently changed something about the settings, haven't I? That, or God hates me.

TR I didn't used to be so obsessed. I used to be just like you and run to feel but the problem was I never felt like running fast, so I would just plod on and on and on. If I tried to run any kind of interval I would think I was going to die so quickly stop. After all I didn't need it - because I could just run on and on and on. So I really need something structured to make me run 'so' fast for 'so' long otherwise I just wouldn't bother. Maybe next year I'll try Poacher's 'what if the opposite were true' approach but until then its schedules and gadgets all the way!

My favourite interval location is a road circling an office park. It is reasonably flat, and other than speed bumps and guard dogs, makes for good running surface pre 7.45am before cars get in the way. The guard dog ran me down on one session. I run faster now

Minni - I only do a few sessions of 3min reps before a marathon and some MP stuff in some of the longer runs, plodding on and on is wayyyyyy under rated. Still, whatever makes you believe you "can" on race day I suppose.

Yes, but you have natural speed that I just don't have. The years that I plodded I didn't get any faster. So if I'd been happy sticking to the 3:30-3:40 marathon time then I could have continued to plod but to get faster I've had to do consistent speed work.

TR I didn't used to be so obsessed. I used to be just like you and run to feel but the problem was I never felt like running fast, so I would just plod on and on and on. If I tried to run any kind of interval I would think I was going to die so quickly stop. After all I didn't need it - because I could just run on and on and on. So I really need something structured to make me run 'so' fast for 'so' long otherwise I just wouldn't bother. Maybe next year I'll try Poacher's 'what if the opposite were true' approach but until then its schedules and gadgets all the way!

You have just summed up the difference between hurting and suffering. Hurting makes suffering easier. If you look at the training schedules of people like Zatopek or Bannister, you get an inkling of how much they must have hurt themselves in order to achieve their goals. Your sub 3.15 in London will involve hurt and suffering, but it will be worth it

There once was a Bishop of Birmingham...you can complete the rest

Lorenzo - on the book front, just reading The Ghost Runner - a readable and interesting piece of social history, worth adding to the list.

I never listen to Marathon Talk, but i get the hurt vs suffer comparison, although I dont look at marathons as an aerobic game, they are about trying to hold an easy (at the start) pace which gets harder to hold as your legs get increasingly more tired, but its never on the aerobic rivet like a 10K race, its about keeping tired legs going strong. So how fast someone can run reps doesnt really seem relevant to me. theres folks I know that are better runners than me 364 days of the year but I beat them on VLM day (cos I do more marathon specific work than them IMO, and I'm up for it more than them when it gets to fixing bayonets time at 18M).

Apologies for the lack of summary today. Holiday time and I need to go and pamper Mrs GD.Just quickly popped in to wish OO and Ant and anyone else racing all the best this weekend.As for me, 12M @ 8:48m/m d&d.

10M last night and 10M this morning to leave the small question of the Bramley 20 tomorrow (I'll be the one who bears a more than passing resemblance to my avatar...). I don't think 20M flat out worked for me in 2010, so plan is 7 @ 8.05 (MP + 20%), 7 @ 7.25 (MP + 10%) and 6 @ 6.45 (PMP). Still sounds quite scary and tough!

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